Ostrich leather

The leather is distinctive for its pattern of vacant quill follicles, forming bumps ranged across a smooth field in varying densities.

[1] Although the first commercial farming began in South Africa in 1850, the industry collapsed after World War I and the drop in demand for the feathers for fashionable hats and military uniforms.

Availability was artificially limited when ostrich leather was subject to a cartel monopoly through trade sanctions, and single export and distribution channels until the end of apartheid in 1993.

Although wider production resulted in competition and lower prices, Klein Karoo Group remains the leading global producer.

The premium strain of ostrich is the "African Black", which originated on the ranches of South Africa through various forms of selective breeding.

[2] Ostrich leather is distinct in its appearance and is characterized by raised points that are localized to the center of the hide.

Since the crown is the most sought-after portion and since it constitutes such a small area of the skin, "full quill" ostrich products are considerably more expensive when compared to bovine leather.

Henry Ford began to mass-produce the automobile which made large stylish hats for women virtually obsolete.

In 1945 the Klein Karoo region near Oudtshoorn set up a cooperative of farmers and speculators ("KKLK") who would work together to rebuild the ostrich industry.

It appears that a group of South African entrepreneurs set out earlier in the 1960s in search of ways to tan ostrich skin.

With Hannes Louw, Jurgens Schoeman and the tanner Johan Wilken, he traveled abroad for the first time in search of people who could tan ostrich leather.

Ostrich leather was instantly popular in high fashion throughout Europe and the United States where it was used for cowboy boots.

During this period, apartheid and other political turmoil caused some countries, the United States included, to put pressure on South Africa in the form of trade sanctions.

More suppliers began to open up in the US and, with fewer trade restrictions, they were able to supply ostrich leather at lower prices.

[6] Lime is added, removed and redone after days of processing and expert clipping prevents skins from tangling with each other.

[6] A well-finished hide necessarily receives high-quality colours and finishing dyes to industry and market standards.

The third stage of "finishing" ostrich leather begins with conditioning to soften it, staking, and other applications making eleven steps, including grading, measuring and packing.

Because it is expensive to manufacture all three processes, countries that produce ostrich skins on a smaller scale, export them at the "raw" and "crust" stages.

South African tanneries export around 90% of its finished leather to manufacturers in Europe and East Asia where it is made into gloves, wallets, hand bags, shoes, luggage, upholstery and sports goods.

Scars and blemishes currently form the basis for grading with further penalties for poorly developed follicles and skins deemed too small.

Definitions of acceptable follicle size and style are vague and often simply a subjective opinion of the tanner or buyer.

For instance, Japan has an especially strong market for ladies' handbags while the southern United States has many consumers of ostrich boots.